You’ve probably heard that red wine can be a very healthy drink option, but you most likely only heard about generic benefits of the antioxidants and resveratrol in red wine.

But here’s another MAJOR reason below why red wine in moderation (1-2 glasses per day max) can be a super healthy part of your routine. I personally have really grown to enjoy having a glass of red wine with dinner about 4-5 days per week.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;95:1323-1334) reported that people who drank 2 glasses of red wine per day (dry red wine, not sugary dessert wines) had higher levels of beneficial bacteria in their gut and lower levels of pathogenic bad bacteria in their gut. This is great news as you know from reading this newsletter how vastly important your gut flora balance is to everything from your digestion, immunity, metabolism, skin health, and much more. To find out more go to:

I am writing this for Moms who sometimes have to feed several children on very little money. We all get to this place at one time

or another. These are the basic things that I use when really l

ow on money. If you usually

cook from scratch you may already have some of these things. Go down the list and check off what you have.

Oatmeal

Dry beans

Rice

Cornmeal

Frozen chubs of ground turkey from Save a lot .69/lb

Milk

Eggs

Chicken leg quarters

Tomato paste

Pasta

Flour

Salt

Sugar

Cinnamon

Baking powder

Shortening

Salt pork or bacon

Margarine

Onions

A few packages of frozen veggies

Flour

Ramen noodles

Cans of tuna

Peanut butter

I don’t know where you live, but I live in Oklahoma. Here, Save-a- Lot foods is one of the best places to pick up deals. However on

the West coast, I used toshop at Grocery Warehouse. If you have one of thesenearby you are certainly blessed. Their logo has a rainbow on the building usually. Now, I am going to assume that all your husband can give you is $30. Maybe he can only give $20, and I’ll show you where to adjust. Here, Chicken quarters are

sometimes on special for .29/lb.. So for two weeks I would probably buy 2-3 of those. If they are more expensive I would buy two,

but at .29/lb I would buy 3. Shop for sales with your news paper before going out. Plan your route in advance to save money on gas. Assuming that you bought 3 chicken quarters

we’ve already spent $9. The next thing on the list is bacon, salt pork or very cheap ham. Now I am goingto assume that you have dry beans in the house. If you don’t they must be

purchased. The bacon can be bought in ends and pieces the cheapest, and this is perfect for using the ways I will suggest. If you spend $3 on the bacon, and $3 on the beans, we have spent $15.

Now if you can, pick up some ground turkey at Save

-a-Lot. Try to get 4 chubs @ .69/chub. So you have spent $2.80 more or $17.80. Now here is where things get

sticky. First of all you need two things more to get through – milk and eggs. Now milk and eggs is something I always have, due to my

goats and chickens. In fact it has been awhile since I have been in a really desperate situation, because of homesteading. However I started homesteading to help prevent us getting into a

bad spot (within the Lord’s will of course). So at this point, on $30 you should purchase: 1 gallon of milk and 3 dozen eggs. The milk is NOT for drinking. Use the milk for cooking. On $20 you should drop 10Lb of chicken to get your milk and buy 2 dozen eggs. Now on $20 you are done. On thirty dollars the balance should be made up with

Ramen noodles, a can or 2 of tomato paste, a bag of potatoes, cornmeal, peanutbutter and frozen vegetables. Now, you probably noticed that I said not to drink the milk. This is because that milk can be used more wisely for making meals. If your family are big milk drinkers, they will have to get used to not drinking so much right now. This is not a permanent thing, but rather temporary to get

through. Also, as much as you are capable, try to balance your meals. However hard times call for hard ways of eating. Our grand

mothers and grandfathers often simply ate meals like cornbread and milk. Extra money should be used for missed things on the list or luxury items such as cheese.

Now for the cooking. For all the cooking I am assuming you are feeding 6, like I would be. When you come home from the store divide the chicken into smaller portions, say four to a gallon ziplock bag. Put them in the freezer.

Day One

The first thing you do is put beans on to soak. Soak them overnight and rinse in the morning adding fresh water. Put those on to cook either in a crockpot or in a pan on the stove. Add a couple of pieces of bacon.At the same time you put the beans to soak, take a cup of milk, a cup of flour, and a teaspoon of sugar, and blend together. Leave in a warm spot covered by a paper towel.

[Ed. note – this is

for the sourdough starter. There is some confusion

regarding this recipe for

starter and bread, so please read through the entire article before starting this. If it is unclear, try this recipe instead.]

The next day, get up early and make eggs and bacon. In our house fried eggs stretch longer than scrambled. Partly

because I usually make too many scrambled. So fry each person in the house an egg and make a little bacon. Also make some quick muffins.

Quick muffins

2 C. flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder (omit if using self rising flour)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 to1 C. milk with a dash of vinegar added, or om

it if you don’t have

vinegar

1/4 C oil

Mix all together and pour into muffin tin filling c

ups by half, or pour into a loaf pan,

and have bread. Bake at 400 degrees until golden br

own.

After breakfast, make sure and put your beans on to

cook. Then check the starter I had you set out last night. Does it smell sour? It should be beginning to smell sour. Set it aside until tomorrow. Now for lunch you can either choose tuna or

egg salad sandwiches. Either way, make a batch of b iscuits and stuff them with the mixture. Now take your tomato paste out, open all the cans. Drop large spoonfuls of tomato paste onto a cookie sheet and pop them in the freezer. Allow to freeze. When frozen take them out and put them into a ziplock bag. Now they can be used whenever you want a little tomato flavor.

Take two of these little tomato nuggets and drop them into your beans. Add a chopped onion and a little chili powder. Serve this

for dinner along with cornbread. More than likely you have some left over beans, and they should be served the next day for lunch.

Tomorrow morning you will be making bread, so we will start it tonight. Take out your starter. Take 1 egg out and put it into a glass of hot tap water (do not crack it). Warm some milk, perhaps 1 quart, not hot just warm. Now get out a large bowl. Take three quarters of your starter and pour it into the bowl. To the rest of

the starter add a cup of flour and a cup of milk. Put this back in the refrigerator. To your starter in the bowl, add your egg, 1/4 C oil, the warm milk, 8-12 cups of flour (start with 5-6 cups and add a little at a time until the dough is the right consistency), and mix and knead well. (Another word for beating the heck out of the dough: excellent stress reliever! No wonder our foremothers rarely got

anxiety attacks!) Allow to rise in a warm place overnight.

Now, everyone has had a full stomach for today. Tomorrow has enough trouble of it’s own. Simply enjoy today’s contentment, and

give thanks to God for his provision.

Day Two

Breakfast- Oatmeal and bacon

Right now apples and pears are getting ripe across

the country. Perhaps you know of someone with apple trees or pear trees. Many times people don’t do anything with them. Ask around and you are likely to find someone who would love to have someone glean their apples. It would be a good outing for the kids, and would help remind you of the wonderful joy that God has for us through his

creation. Bring them home and cut them up and make applesauce, and apple pie, and apple muffins, and apple juice.

Punch down your risen bread dough and form into loaves. Let rise again for the morning, then bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. Now for lunch you have left over beans and fresh sourdough bread. After lunch take a ziplock of chicken out of the freezer. About 2 hours before dinner, put the chicken in a large pot to boil. Simmer one

hour, and then take the chicken out of the pot and take it off the bone. While you are deboning the chicken add a little water, and one chopped onion, and salt and pepper to your broth. Simmer while deboning. Now put your chicken back in the broth and make up a batch of biscuit dough. Drop the dough into the water about

ten minutes before you serve your chicken and dumplings. Put a lid on the pot and leave it until serving time. Turn off the burner and serve your family a meal. Save the leftovers Now notice I don’t mention vegetables. If you have some use them, but keep in mind that there may be other recipes later in this incredibly

long e-mail that call for them. Now take a walk outside. Sit by yourself somewhere, and just breathe. Hopefully hubby is home, and all is well. Make a list of how God has blessed you today.

Remember those adorable things the kids did. Now get a good night’s sleep. I always read my bible at night. After the labor of t

he day is finished I can take allmy cares to the Lord.

Day 3

You more than likely had leftover chicken and dumplings. Breakfast is toast (made with homemade bread) with peanut butter, and a little bacon.

Lunch, take some frozen veggies(broccoli would be excellent). Take a deep casserole pan, fish out all the leftover chicken out of the chicken and dumplings. Put one cup of rice, and one cup of broth (conserving the rest), and one cup of water in the casserole with the chicken and half a bag of broccoli. Season to taste, and bake covered for 1/2 hour. Uncover and sprinkle a little of any kind of

cheese (if you have it, if not omit) Serve this for lunch

Get out your starter and put half of it in a bowl.

Replace with 1/2 C milk, 1/2 C.

flour. Adding some milk, mix with flour, a little sugar and salt to make a stiff dough. Let rise until after dinner. Punch down, and

put into the refrigerator. For dinner, take out a chub of turkey and 5 packages of ramen noodles. Brown the

turkey, add ramen noodles and the contents of one of the seasoning packets, and leftover veggies from lunch. Simmer and serve.

Also take some of your bread and cut into chunks. Add a few raisins if you have them. Mix 1 egg, 1cup of milk, 3/4 C sugar (brown would be nice, but not necessary.), and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Pour mixture over

bread, and bake. This bread pudding is wonderful if you pour just a little milk over it. Get out your starter, and use half of it in a bowl.

Replace with 1/2 C milk, 1/2 C. flour. Adding some milk mix with flour a little sugar and salt to make a stiff dough. Let rise until after dinner. Punch down, and put in to the refrigerator

Day 4

First thing when you wake up take dough out of fridge. Roll out on a board to about half inch thickness. Dot with margarine, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and roll up in a roll. slice across the roll, and place your cinnamon rolls on their sides in an oiled pan. Turn on your oven for few minutes just to warm it, and then

turn it off and put your rolls into it to rise. When they have risen some, turn on your oven to 400 degrees and bake until golden brown. Serve this with an egg each. For lunch take out whatever ramen you have left over, add the remaining broth from the dumplings, another fresh package of ramen, and serve for lunch. Also take another package of chicken out of the freezer. For dinner boil the chicken and take off the bone. Set aside the broth. Now take 1 1/2 cups rice and brown it gently in a little oil. Add three cups of the broth into the hot pan, putting the leftovers in the freezer. From the freezer take out two of the tomato nuggets, and add them and the chicken to the rice. Cover and simmer on medium until all water is absorbed. Add salt and spices to taste. Now another day is done, and all is right with the

world. Everyone is probably full, and God is watching over you. This is four meals.

Day five

Take out a package of chicken. For breakfast-pancakes. Now I often make my own syrup by heating sugar and water on the stove and flavoring with either maple flavoring or vanilla. I also just love the recipe Laura Ingalls Wilder describes in Farmer Boy. Stacked pancakes- Make small pancakes, and on each one add a sliver of

margarine and a little brown sugar(she said maple sugar, but most people would not have that in their cupboard). Do this as you make them. These are excellent although very fattening!

This can be served with either bacon or you can take some thawed ground turkey, add sage, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder and make your own sausage. Now this is a little better if you take a little of your salt pork and put it in your blender and add to it. 1 chub can give you enough for a couple of breakfasts. Apple sauce if you gleaned apples.

Lunch

Today have ramen soup with any leftover meats and chop a few veggies small. Cook the veggies with the seasoning packet and water, then add your noodles at the end. Also make your own crackers.

Crackers

Any recipe for pie crust

garlic powder

Italian seasoning or fresh rosemary chopped

a little grated cheese if you have it

Mix all the ingredients together well. Roll out on

a cutting board a little thinner

than for pie. Now cut into squares and poke each cracker several times with a fork. Bake until crispy and golden brown in a 400 degree oven.

Dinner

Boil your chicken till it is falling off the bone.

Take the meat off the bones. Cool the broth. Take a cup of broth and set aside. Make a double crust pie recipe. If you are smart, which I know you all are, you will do this at lunch when you make

your crackers and pop the crust into the fridge. Line the a pie plate with half the crust. Now chop some veggies, or use some frozen veggies. It would be nice to use a potato or two, and some celery. Simmer the veggies until half done in just

a little water. Mix with the chicken. Fill the crust. Place the other crust on top and bake. Serve this with whatever drink you prefer. See next page for drinks on a budget.

bed. Hubby is out like a light and it is just me and God. Read a good book. Read God’s word and then off to sleep.

Day Six

Omelet

A good omelet is an art. However, with a little effort a couple of eggs can make a real meal. An omelet does not have to have cheese.

However it does make it nice. With an omelet a little dab will do you. Fry a slice or two of bacon, and crumble it up. Dig in your fridge for any fresh veggies you can find. A little onion, a little pepper, even a few frozen veggies will do. Also just a little grated cheese

is wonderful. The path to an excellent omelet is in

the pan. Many people use a nonstick skillet. I am not fond of silverstone pans flaking into my food, so my favorite pan is a good, well seasoned iron skillet. You want just a small amount of

oil well covering the pan. You also want the pan quite hot. When making an omelet, you want the eggs well beaten and you want

to pour the egg into the hot skillet immediately after beating. Have a spatula close at hand. As soon as the eggs have begun to set at the edges just a little, you want to begin pushing the

edges toward the middle and lifting them to allow the uncooked egg to seepunder and cook as you tilt the pan to and fro. As soon as all of the egg is set (I scrape all the uncooked egg I can from the middle out to the edge), add your meat and vegetables, and salt and pepper, to half and fold the egg over. Add a cover and turn the burner off. As the egg rests, prepare your plates. Cut the omelet into portions(my 10 inch skillet feeds five or six), and serve nice and

warm.

Lunch

Peanut butter sandwiches

Dinner

Tuna Casserole

A package of egg noodles

3 TBS margarine

1 1/2 cups milk

Seasoning packet from a package of chicken flavored

ramen noodles

1/2 cup flour

dash onion powder

dash garlic powder

dash pepper

1/8 tsp salt

1 can of tuna or even two if you have lots

Cook noodles in water until al dente (I test mine b

y throwing a noodle against the refrigerator. If it sticks, it’s done.) While noodles are cooking blend in a small bowl

flour and seasonings. Heat 1/2 cup milk in a small

sauce pan. Add remaining milk to bowl and blend well. Add the mixture in the bowl to hot milk and blend with a

written recipe to this. These biscuits are more about technique. However I will try to share a workable recipe here.

2 cups of flour

4 tsp. of baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup shortening or lard

1 1/2 cups milk to which has been added 1 tsp of vinegar or 1 1/2 Cups buttermilk if you have it Blend with fork or sift flour baking powder and salt. Cut shortening into flour until

very small. I use my fingers for this. Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour a little bit of the milk in the biscuits, stirring between additions, until flour is just taken up by the milk. What you should be left with is a ball of dough which looks neither too wet or too dry to handle. Pinch off small balls of dough rolling very gently between the hands into balls. Touch the dough as little as possible to do this(don’t knead). Bake in a 400 degree oven.

There are many ways to make gravy. This is mine:

Bacon gravy

Fry some bacon. Take out bacon and add two cups of

milk to fat. Crumble bacon

and add it to milk. Take 1/2 cup flour 3/4 tsp salt

and a little pepper and blend

well in a small bowl. With a whisk, blend 1 cup mil

k into flour and pour into milk

mixture in pan. Stir constantly adjusting spices.

Lunch

Egg salad sandwiches

Make a loaf of sourdough bread according to previous directions. Mold French bread style, and bake after rising.

Dinner

Spaghetti

Prepare spaghetti as you did last night’s noodles.

Take out chubs of turkey from fridge. Brown turkey with a little chopped onion. Absolutely great pasta sauce

comes from two things: Tomato paste(not sauce), and

sweet to acid balance. My basic pasta sauce is built around those two things. After browning meat(when you are not so poor use beef and Italian sausage), add either 1 can of tomato paste, and 2 cans of stewed tomatoes( I like the ones that come with the

seasonings already in them) or 2 cans of tomato paste. Also add garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. And the secret

ingredient is, about two tablespoons of sugar. Simmer and serve with pasta. It is great to have some parmesan around for this.

Now split your fresh loaf of sourdough, butter both sides and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. place under the broiler until golden brown.

Well that is 1 weeks worth of meals. Part 3 is beverages

We live in a day and age where the normal act of consuming liquid is expensive, not to mention often unhealthful. My grandmother made grape juice, canned it, and served it throughout the year. Right now if you live in the right area fall grapes are free from the wildlands. Edible grapes hang in bunches. There are a few Vitus varieties that are inedible, but the grapes are usually on single stems

rather than in a bunch. There are several online re

sources available to see the difference. Try doing a google search on “Vitus”.

Grape Juice

Grape juice is great for your children! It has been

shown to be beneficial to the

heart and body. It is easy to make bad grape juice.

Here is how to make the good kind. De-stem your grapes and wash them. Put the washed grapes into a large kettle. Smash the grapes well with a potato masher. Fill pan with water to at least

two to three inches above grapes. heat on low to near 145 degrees or just a little too hot to touch. You should see steam beginning to

rise. Take grapes off the stove and mash well again. Pour contents into a jelly bag and drain, twisting and squeezing bag well. Pour hot juice into jars, and put on lids and rings. Process pints and quarts 5 min. under 1000′, 10 min. 1000 – 6000′ and for 15 min. 6000′

and above. When serving dilute by at least half, and add sugar if desired to taste

Strawberry lemonade

When strawberries are in season and cheap, or when

you have plenty coming from the garden, this is a wonderful thing to can up for winter. Wash and drip dry several pint jars(enough to fill your canner). To each jar add 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup lemon juice, 3/4 Cup sugar, and fill the remaining space in the jar with water

if necessary. Put on lids and rings, tighten. Now can as for Grape Juice above. Remember that you never start the time on canning until pot is at a rolling boil.Also make sure that water is at least three inches above jars. Take jars out of canner; allow to cool. When serving, pour through strainer into a pitcher, and dilute to taste. This is like summer in a glass.

Watermelon Juice

Another wonderful drink is this: Watermelon is often inexpensive, and it makes an absolutely wonderful drink. De-seed a whole wate rmelon and process in a blender. Strain into a pitcher. Watermelon juice is so sweet that often it does not have a good balance of tart to sweet. To correct this add a little sugar if necessary, and a TBS at a time of vinegar to taste. Apple cider vinegar is good

for this, but I have also used just white vinegar. Start with one TBS and stir between additions until it tastes right. Serve this

by the pitcher in season. You can also add more sugar and freeze in popsicles. These would be wonderful in winter, but i bet they won’t stay around that long!

Iced Tea

Another drink that I am excited about is Liptons cold brew tea. the great thingabout this is that you can grab a jug of water, throw a bag in and take off to wherever. By the time you get to wherever, you have

tea. Great for cheap outings with the kids. Also, Bigelow puts out a raspberry herb tea that can easily be brewed cold as well. It is just wonderful. I use two large teabags to a gallon of

water with both of these fine teas.

Water

In addition I can’t say enough about just plain water. Water is healthy, and quenches a thirst faster than anything. Also, when

you add a little lemon or lime to ice water, you have a fine refreshing drink. It is also nice to buy club soda and pour over fruit. Anyway I hope you all enjoy these recipes. Several of them are being put in the little homemaking cardfile I am doing for my daughter, Lacey.

7 Super Spices for Sensational Health

People have long known that spices are much more than simply strong flavorings. They are also strong medicine.

William Shakespeare recognized this fact when he wrote in Hamlet: “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember.” More than 400 years later, scientific studies have confirmed that rosemary may indeed help preserve cognitive function.

An increasing body of evidence suggests that frequent use of spices may help prevent or treat many chronic diseases such as allergies, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and dementia.

Although many spices are associated with health benefits, Dr. Bazilian has singled out the following seven “super spices” as especially useful. Remember that you’re most likely to benefit from ordinary culinary doses, not super-doses which may be harmful.

1. Cinnamon: One teaspoon of cinnamon contains the antioxidant equivalent of a half-cup of blueberries and one cup of pomegranate juice.

Recent research also suggests that this potent, polyphenol-rich spice helps regulate blood sugar, which is great news for people with diabetes or pre-diabetes. Cinnamon can be added to cereals, yogurt, baked goods, applesauce as well as savory fare such as sweet potato fries and other vegetables. An easy and tasty way to add it to your diet is to add a half-teaspoon over ground coffee before brewing.

2. Ginger: One teaspoon of fresh ginger contains the antioxidant equivalent of one cup of spinach. Ginger has long been recognized for its beneficial effects on digestion, pain, and inflammation.

New research suggests that ginger also may improve cognition in women and promote weight loss in men.

3. Oregano: Dr. Bazilian calls oregano a “mini salad” because one teaspoon of the dried herb contains the antioxidant equivalent of three cups of chopped broccoli.

“Oregano has very strong anti-microbial, antibacterial, and some anti-inflammatory properties,” she says. Oregano is associated with a decrease in post-meal blood levels of triglycerides, thus preventing heart disease.

Research suggests that red peppers may increase feelings of satiety after meals, enhance metabolism, improve circulation, and promote weight loss.

In one study, people who ate dihydrocapsiate — a compound found in chili peppers — experienced a boost in fat-burning capacity. In another study, lab animals fed capsaicin — the ingredient in chili peppers that provides heat — had decreased blood pressure.

5. Rosemary: As noted earlier, rosemary has beneficial effects on cognition. Rosemary also contains potent anti-inflammatory compounds that may reduce the risk of heart disease. When rosemary is a main component in polyphenol-rich spice marinades, it dramatically reduces the formation of carcinogenic compounds in meats exposed to grilling.

For example, studies show that a rosemary-rich marinade reduces the formation of malondialdehyde in grilled hamburgers by 71 percent, and reduces the formation of heterocyclic amines (HCAs) in grilled steak by up to 88 percent.

6. Thyme: This spice has received much attention for its heart-healthy properties. But it also helps treat respiratory conditions such as bronchitis. In Europe, doctors often recommend thyme oil as a remedy for cough.

We have grown to believe that our home is our castle. But things have changed long ago and nowadays our homes might be hiding more danger than safety. Indeed quite a lot information has been shared about the infamous formaldehyde, nitrobenzene and methylene chloride – all carcinogens that can be found in everyday items such as rubber, plastic, dyes, perfumes, shampoos.
Take a look at a few of the items you thought harmless and see the health problems they can provoke. Then make sure you take the right decision and rid your home of many cancer-causers and ensure a healthy environment for you and your family.1. Air fresheners
Many air fresheners have carcinogens, volatile organic compounds and toxins such as phthalate esters in their formulas. A Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) study of 13 common household air fresheners found that most of the surveyed products contain chemicals that can aggravate asthma and affect reproductive development.
According to a 2008 study by Anne Steinemann of the University of Washington, all air-fresheners tested gave off chemicals regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, including carcinogens with no safe exposure level. None of these chemicals, however, were listed on the product labels or Material Safety Data Sheets. As a replacement, try natural fragrances from essential oils.2. Candles
According to a study by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 40 percent of candles on the market contain lead wires inside their wicks. Scented candles most commonly contain lead wicks. Fragrance oils soften the wax, so the manufacturers use lead to make the wicks firmer.
A candle with a lead-core wick releases five times the amount of lead considered hazardous for children and exceeds Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pollution standards for outdoor air, says the CPSC. Exposure to high amounts of lead may contribute to hormone disruption, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, and many other health problems.
If you want to keep your home softly lit and cozy without risking your health go for beeswax candles with cotton wicks. For more information on how to make your own beeswax candles read How to Make Beeswax Candles.3. Art supplies
Certain art supplies like Epoxy and rubber cement glues, acrylic paints and solvents, and permanent markers contain chemicals linked to allergies, organ damage, and cancer.
Children are particularly vulnerable to toxins because of their higher metabolisms, and immature immune systems, so it pays to exercise extra care with the products they use. To find nontoxic and green alternatives to common art supplies, or recipes for making your own, read Are Art Supplies Toxic?4. Shampoos
Unlikely as it may sound, conventional shampoos have too many toxic ingredients. Funny as it may sound, their effects are still being researched, and there is no scientific consensus whether they cause cancer. But if you want to be on the safe side, you can use any of the myriad of handmade shampoo bars, offered on etsy.5. Antiperspirants
Most conventional deodorants and antiperspirants contain several ingredients linked to virulent cancers. Since deodorants and antiperspirants are designed to stay on our bodies for hours, this allows the potential absorption of harmful chemicals through the skin. After I read this article on Green Living Ideas I completely stopped using antiperspirants but am yet to write an extensive post about that.6. Shower curtains
Plastic shower curtains leach toxic chemicals not only into your shower or bath, but also into the environment, emitting harmful chemicals called volatile organic chemicals or VOCs.
Reducing your contact with any of these products, in addition to conventional cleaners, will surely make your home your castle.
http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/13830-cancer-causers-at-home.html?c=tca

Those who are having the following issue, please click on one of the links below to solve it. Thank you.

I sometimes receive a comment like the one below, so I have copied the Word Press solution links.

“When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get several emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove people from that service? Thanks!”

The above are a part of everyone’s day-to-day life, in one form or another; yet few realize the ramifications of acetaldehyde on the human frame.

Acetate’s (vinegar’s) ‘precursor’ acetaldehyde may linger too long while the body attempts to break it down into its healthier component of acetate. During the time of its conversion, acetaldehyde causes havoc in the human body…from head to toe!

Read below an excerpt from:

http://intelegen.com/nutrients/prevent_the_damaging_effects_of_.htm

Acetaldehyde – A Common and Potent Neurotoxin

How to prevent the damaging effects of smoking, alcohol consumption, and air pollution

Overcoming Addiction

Acetaldehyde is hardly a household word in America, yet it is one of the most common neurotoxins in the lives of tens of millions of people. It is a simple substance its chemical formula is CH3CHO yet acetaldehyde insidiously promotes damage to brain structure and function through numerous pathways.

Sources of Acetaldehyde
There are four main routes that bring acetaldehyde (abbreviated here as “AH”) into the human brain. These are alcohol consumption, Candida “the yeast syndrome,” exhaust from cars and trucks, and cigarette smoking.

Ethanol (more commonly known as alcohol) is the chemical contained in beer, wine, liquor and liqueurs that gets people drunk. These beverages serve as carriers to get ethanol into the drinker’s brain, promoting some degree of intoxication. Once in the body, alcohol is broken down into carbon dioxide and water. However, this process takes time and occurs in several steps. The first step occurs primarily in the liver, although other organs such as the brain and kidney can also perform this stage of alcohol detoxification to a slight extent. An enzyme called “alcohol dehydrogenase” converts alcohol into AH. Then another enzyme “aldehyde dehydrogenase” must break the AH down into acetate. Acetate can then serve as a fuel in cellular energy production. (Acetate is a form of acetic acid, the acid that makes vinegar sour.)

However, the conversion of AH to acetate does not always occur quickly or smoothly and therein lies the problem. Research over the last several decades has shown that alcoholics tend to rapidly convert alcohol to AH, but then convert AH to acetate very slowly, thus giving AH a chance to work its mischief in the body.1 And depending on a person’s genetics, nutritional status, and exposure to other chemicals such as formaldehyde, which also utilize aldehyde dehydrogenase for their detoxification, even non-alcoholics may have difficulty rapidly detoxifying AH.

The second major route of AH into the brain is through its production by a yeast called Candida albicans. Candida is known to occur in the intestinal tract of virtually all humans to some degree. When present only in small amounts, being kept in check by a healthy immune system and the so-called “friendly flora,” such as Acidophilus and Bifidus bacteria, Candida is relatively harmless. Yet due to the modern overuse of antibiotics, birth control pills, and cortisone/prednisone drug therapy, as well as excessive stress (which naturally produces excess cortisone in the body), sugar consumption and malnutrition, millions of Americans now suffer from an excessive growth of Candida in their intestines the so-called “yeast syndrome.”2 Candida lives by fermenting sugars to produce energy. Unfortunately for the humans who harbor large colonies of Candida in their gut, the waste by-product of this sugar fermentation by Candida is AH.3 Biochemical research has shown that this AH may combine with red blood cells, proteins, enzymes, and other substances present in the gut or gut lining, and thus travel through the bloodstream to reach more distant parts of the body such as the brain.3 Research has also shown that AH can then detach from the red blood cells or proteins it traveled with through the bloodstream, thus enabling AH to damage cells far from the site of its intestinal production by Candida.3

For those suffering from the yeast syndrome, the ingestion of beer, wine, and liqueurs provides a double-barreled dose of AH. Not only is the alcohol in these beverages turned into AH, but the malt and grain in beer and the sugar in wine and liqueurs provide excellent fuel for Candida to produce the energy it needs to live.2 More AH is the inevitable by-product of the yeast’s sugar fermentation.

When oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, and natural gas are burned, ending up in the air, AH is produced.4 Thus, another major route of entry into the body for AH is through inhaling air laden with vehicle and factory exhaust. People who spend hours commuting in dense freeway traffic, professional drivers such as truck and taxi drivers in urban areas, and even those who live or work in heavily trafficked areas or near freeways or major streets are especially at risk for inhaling small but significant chronic levels of AH.

AH is also produced through the burning of tobacco.7 Thus, heavy cigarette smokers are also at risk of inhaling AH through the inhaled smoke. And while the amounts of AH inhaled through auto exhaust and cigarette smoke may be small compared to that from alcohol, research shows that low-dose chronic AH exposure may still be sufficient to gradually damage proteins, enzymes and other cellular structures in the brain and other organs.21

How Acetaldehyde Damages the Brain
There are many ways that acetaldehyde (AH) can gradually damage brain structure and function through chronic, low-dose AH exposure. The following are some of them.

Acetaldehyde alters red blood cell structure. It has been known since 1941 that AH easily combines with red blood cell membrane proteins to convert the red blood cells into a “time-release capsule” for AH, releasing the AH in the body far from the site where it attached to the red blood cell.3 As this happens, however, the membrane covering the red blood cell becomes stiffer.21 Yet in order to travel through the capillaries, which are the smallest blood vessels and which feed the trillions of individual cells, the red blood cell must be able to fold or deform. The average red blood cell diameter is 7 microns; yet a typical capillary is only 2 microns in diameter. Red blood cells stiffened through chronic AH exposure will have difficulty deforming sufficiently to pass through capillaries. Consequently, red blood cell-carried oxygen to many cells is reduced.3 (Our brains require 20% of all the oxygen we breathe!) In addition, the work of K.K. Tsuboi and colleagues has shown that AH forms stable combinations with hemoglobin in red blood cells. This reduces the ability of red blood cells to accept, hold, and transport oxygen through the bloodstream, which is their primary function.5

Acetaldehyde decreases the ability of the protein tubulin to assemble into microtubules.6 Microtubules are long, thin, tube-like structures that serve several functions in the brain cell. They help provide structural support to the nerve cell, somewhat like girders in a bridge or a building, keeping the nerve cell and the dendrites semi-rigid. Dendrites are the feathery-looking extensions from the main body of the nerve cell which connect nerve cells to each other, with some neurons connecting through dendrites to as many as 100,000 other neurons. Microtubules also serve to transport nutrients and biochemical raw materials manufactured in the cell body to the dendrites. When this raw material transport is compromised, the dendrites will gradually atrophy and die off. Two classic examples of brain pathology involving degeneration of the dendrites in humans are chronic alcoholic brain damage and Alzheimer’s disease.

Acetaldehyde induces a deficiency of vitamin B1. Thiamin, or Vitamin B1, is so critical to brain and nerve function it is often called the “nerve vitamin.” AH has a very strong tendency to combine with B1, as the work of Herbert Sprince, M.D. (discussed below) has shown.7 Unfortunately, in detoxifying AH through combination with it, B1 is destroyed. Moderately severe B1 deficiency in humans leads to a group of symptoms called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.9 This syndrome is characterized by mental confusion, poor memory, poor neuromuscular coordination, and visual disturbances. Its primary accepted cause is chronic alcoholism. B1 is also necessary for the production of ATP bioenergy in all body cells including the brain, and the brain must produce and use 20% of the body’s energy total, even while asleep. Vitamin B1 is also essential for production of acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is one of the brain’s major neurotransmitters, facilitating optimal memory, mental focus and concentration, and learning. Alzheimer’s disease represents a rather extreme case of memory loss and impaired concentration due to destruction of acetylcholine-using brain cells. In a classic experiment reported in 1942, R.R. Williams and colleagues found that even mild B1 deficiency in humans continued over a long period of time (the experiment ran six months) produces symptoms including apathy, confusion, emotional instability, irritability, depression, feelings of impending doom, fatigue, insomnia, and headaches8 all symptoms of less-than-optimal brain function.

Below is a range of possible nutrient levels that may offer protection to those suffering from chronic AH toxicity.

NUTRIENT

AMOUNT/DAY

(divide into 2-3 doses, take with meals)

Thiamin (B1)

50-500 mg

Niacin or Niacinamide (B3)*

50-500 mg

Pantothenic Acid (B5) (Pantethine)

25-200 mg

Pyridoxine (B6)

25-150 mg

N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC)

500-2000 mg

Ascorbate (C)

500-3000 mg

Zinc (Monomethionine, Ascorbate or Citrate)

15-30 mg

Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA)**

120-480 mg

Lipoic Acid (Thioctic Acid)

50-200 mg

Silymarin (Milk Thistle Extract, 70-80%)

200-600 mg

* Those with known or suspected liver disease or gout should use this only with their physician’s permission. Also, those who find the “hot flush” action of niacin too unpleasant should use the niacinamide form of B3** From Borage Seed Oil or Evening Primrose Seed Oil

Acetaldehyde induces deficiencies of niacin and NAD. Niacin (Vitamin B3) is present in the human body primarily in its coenzyme form, NAD.1 NAD is involved in the majority of steps in which sugar and fat are burned for energy in all cells.10 NAD is normally the most plentiful vitamin coenzyme in the human brain. NAD is important as a catalyst in the production of many key, brain neurotransmitters, such as serotonin. Neurotransmitters are the biochemicals that allow nerve cells to communicate with each other. NAD is also the coenzyme that activates alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase, the enzymes that break down alcohol and AH.11 Zinc is also required along with NAD to activate these two enzymes.12

Since the need for NAD in all cells is great, yet the supply is limited, NAD is normally recycled continually during cellular energy production. Yet, when NAD helps detoxify AH, this recycling of NAD is blocked, and an altered form of NAD called “NADH” accumulates, impairing cellular biochemistry in many ways.1, 21 Thus, chronic AH exposure may produce a mild, functional, niacin/NAD deficiency, even in a person consuming a so-called “balanced diet” which meets RDA levels of niacin intake.

Extreme niacin deficiency produces the classic nutritional disease Pellegra with dramatic symptoms, both physical and mental. Since niacin is needed in large amounts for optimal brain function, a mild niacin deficiency tends to produce mostly psychological symptoms. These symptoms may include feeling fearful, apprehensive, suspicious, and worrying excessively with a gloomy, downcast, angry and depressed outlook. Headaches, insomnia, depression, agitation, and inability to concentrate may also occur.13 This profile certainly applies to many chronic alcoholics and Candida patients, who obviously suffer from long-term, mild AH exposure.

Acetaldehyde reduces Acetyl Coenzyme A and impairs cellular energy production. Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) is one of the most critical vitamins for normal brain function. The active form of B5 is Coenzyme A. Coenzyme A in turn is combined with acetate in all cells to form Acetyl Coenzyme A. Acetyl Coenzyme A is perhaps the most pivotal single biochemical in all cellular biochemistry; both sugar and fat must be transformed into Acetyl Coenzyme A to power the Krebs’ cycle which produces 90% of all the energy used by every cell in the body, including brain cells.11 Unfortunately, for Acetyl Coenzyme A, however, AH has a strong affinity to combine with Acetyl Coenzyme A. The work of biochemist H.P. Ammon has shown that AH suppresses the activity of Acetyl Coenzyme A in a dose-dependent fashion. He has also demonstrated that the energy-producing activity of cells falls in parallel with the declining levels of Acetyl Coenzyme A as the concentration of AH increases.1 The brain use. 20% of all body energy for normal function. Acetyl Coenzyme A is also necessary for the production of acetylcholine, the memory, learning and concentration neurotransmitter.14

Acetaldehyde induces a deficiency of Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate (P5P). P5P is the major coenzyme necessary to form virtually all major brain neurotransmitters.10 It is involved in all transamination reactions, whereby cells may convert many different amino acids into each other to satisfy their ever-shifting amino acid needs.10 P5P is necessary to convert essential fatty acids into their final use forms, as well as to turn linoleic acid into the key, nerve cell-regulating biochemical, Prostaglandin E1.15 P5P helps regulate magnesium entry into cells,16 and the level of excitability of nerve cells is strongly dependent upon their magnesium level. P5P is also necessary to convert vitamin B3, niacin/niacinamide, into the active coenzyme form, NAD.17 Unfortunately for P5P (and we humans who are so dependent on it), AH is known to strongly combine with the protein portion of P5P enzymes in a way that displaces the P5P portion of the molecule. This subjects P5P to an increased rate of destruction and results in abnormally low blood and tissue levels of this coenzyme.1,18

Acetaldehyde unfavorably influences prostaglandin metabolism. Delta-6-Desaturase is the enzyme that converts the common fatty acid linoleic acid into gamma linolenic acid, which is totally absent from any typical diet. Gamma linolenic acid in turn is the only raw material that can be converted into prostaglandin E1. Prostaglandin E1 is a key regulatory biochemical for both nerve cells and the immune system. It also serves to regulate the production of the pro-inflammatory prostaglandin E2. Prostaglandin E1 prevents excessive production of prostaglandin E2 from the dietary fatty acid, arachidonic acid, which is plentiful in meat, poultry and dairy products. Researchers in prostaglandin biochemistry have discovered, however, that AH is a powerful deactivator of Delta-6-Desaturase.15 AH thus tends to suppress gamma linolenic acid production, which in turn suppresses prostaglandin E1 production. Low prostaglandin E1 production “takes the brakes off” production of prostaglandin E2 and a related compound, TXB2, increasing their levels far above normal. The published research of David Horrobin, M.D.,15 and psychiatrist Julian Lieb,19 has shown high levels of prostaglandin E2 and TXB2, coupled with low levels of prostaglandin E1, to be a major causal factor in some forms of depression.

Acetaldehyde promotes addiction to toxic substances. Perhaps one of the most surprising ways AH may alter normal brain function is due to its tendency to combine in the brain with two key neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin. When AH and dopamine combine, they form a condensation product called salsolinol. When AH combines with serotonin, another product called beta-carboline is formed. Salsolinol and beta-carboline are two of a group of inter-related and interconvertible compounds called tetrahydro-isoquinolines. The various tetrahydro-isoquinolines which both animal and human research have shown to occur at high levels in the brains, spinal fluids, and urine of chronic alcoholics are closely related in structure, function, and addictive power to opiates! Successfully detoxifying alcoholics have been shown to excrete especially high levels of these opiate-like chemicals in their urine. Thus, these AH-generated, opiate-like biochemicals may at least partly explain why alcoholics are so addicted to alcohol, cigarette smokers to cigarettes, and Candida-sufferers to sugar, since all three of these conditions promote chronic excessive body AH levels. And, like opiates, these tetrahydroisoquinoline biochemicals would tend to promote lethargy, mental cloudiness and fogginess, depression, apathy, inability to concentrate, etc. These, of course, are symptoms common to both alcoholism and Candidiasis, the two conditions which would tend to generate the highest chronic AH levels in the body.

The difficulties discussed above that are caused by chronic AH toxicity should indicate to the reader that AH has a significant ability to compromise brain function. A partial summary of AH’s damaging effects on brain function includes the following:

Impaired memory

Decreased ability to concentrate (“brain fog”)

Depression

Slowed reflexes

Lethargy and apathy

Heightened irritability

Decreased mental energy

Increased anxiety and panic reactions

Decreased sensory acuity

Increased tendency to alcohol, sugar, and cigarette addiction

Decreased sex drive

Increased PMS and breast swelling/tenderness in women.

How Nutrition Can Help
Fortunately, applied nutrition science offers some protection against chronic AH toxicity, even when it is not possible to completely avoid the four main offenders that promote AH in our bodies alcohol, Candida, cigarettes, and heavy auto exhaust.

Herbert Sprince, M.D. and his colleagues published many articles in the 1970’s detailing the results of their experiments which used various nutrients to protect rats from AH poisoning. Sprince fed a control group of rats an amount of AH sufficient to kill 90% of the control group in 72 hours. The experimental group of rats given the same amount of AH were also given various nutrients, either singly or in combination, that might detoxify the AH. After 72 hours, the death rate for rats given large oral doses of Vitamin C was only 27% (vs 90% in controls), 20% for rats given the sulfur amino acid L-cysteine, 10% for rats receiving Vitamin B1, and an amazing 0% for rats protected by N-acetyl cysteine or lipoic acid. A lower dose combination of C, B1 and either L-Cysteine or N-acetyl cysteine also gave near 0% death rates!7 But, the nutrient doses Sprince administered were rather gigantic compared to RDA levels of nutrients, being equivalent to multi-gram doses for humans. Fortunately, however, most people are not subjected to such high levels of AH, so lower doses of these nutrients would doubtless provide significant AH-detoxifying power when used on a long-term basis.

John Cleary, M.D. has published papers summarizing many doctors’ and researchers’ successful use of niacin (Vitamin B3) and zinc in alcohol and AH detoxification.1 Since the enzymes that break down alcohol and AH are both B311 and zinc-activated,12 this provides an obvious rationale for their protective use in chronic alcohol/AH toxicity situations. Finally, because chronic high tissue levels of AH impair the normal process of recycling the active form of B3 (NAD) for continual re-use,1 it is obvious why normal dietary levels of B3 might be insufficient to provide optimal brain B3 levels in chronic AH toxicity situations.